Chapter 20: Collecting Rabbits – Wuyou Grass

When the chef saw Li Youyin, he greeted him as warmly as if they were family, leaving the father and daughter somewhat bewildered.

Noticing their confused expressions, the chef began to explain.

It turns out the chef’s surname was Song, and he was the brother-in-law of the restaurant owner. Normally, the chef took charge of minor matters, with the owner only getting involved in major decisions.

Recently, the owner had received a new recipe that mainly used rabbit meat.

Although the restaurant did accept game, the number of rabbits was too small and couldn’t meet the restaurant’s daily consumption.

The owner had ordered that within three days, a stable supply of rabbits must be found, which greatly troubled Chef Song. That’s when he sought help from the couple.

Chef Song laughed heartily, saying, “I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I tried, but here it is, right under my nose! Li, you’re my lucky star!”

He quickly invited the father and daughter into a private room and had a waiter bring tea for them to sit down and discuss.

The final decision was to purchase Li’s rabbits at fifteen wen per jin (about half a pound). They agreed to buy five rabbits per day initially, with the option to increase the quantity if business went well.

After leaving two rabbits behind, the father and daughter bid farewell to Chef Song, and Li Youyin couldn’t contain his excitement.

He never expected the price of the rabbits to be so high. As he spoke, his eyes dimmed as if recalling something.

“Guo’er, the rabbits we can sell right now would only be enough for the restaurant for about four or five days. What do we do after that?”

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ve already thought of it, or else I wouldn’t have agreed to Chef Song’s offer.”

“Really? That’s great. Now I can rest easy,” Li Youyin said, rubbing his hands in delight.

When they got home, the father and daughter shared the good news with the family, and everyone was very happy.

Li Wen, hearing that the rabbits he raised could actually be sold for quite a bit of money, was overjoyed and kept saying he would go back up the mountain to catch more.

Seeing her younger son’s innocent excitement, Shen Shi smiled and said, “Catching rabbits ourselves definitely won’t be enough for the restaurant’s demand.”

“Guo’er, do you have any ideas?”

Li Guo’er, hearing her mother’s question, exaggeratedly said, “Mom, you’re the smartest! You’ve figured it out already. How could I not understand my own daughter, after carrying you for ten months?”

After laughing, Li Guo’er shared her plan. “I plan to collect rabbits from the village, both large and small. In the town, rabbits are sold for eight wen per jin, so we’ll sell adults for nine wen per jin, semi-grown ones for six wen, and small ones for four wen.”

“Guo’er, I understand why you’d sell the adults for nine wen per jin; since our price is higher than the town’s, we don’t have to worry about them selling elsewhere. But why bother with the small ones and offer such a high price? No one in the town wants small ones.”

After hearing her father’s question, Li Guo’er explained, “Dad, small rabbits can’t sell for much now, but if we raise them, they’ll be worth money. Rabbits reproduce and grow quickly, reaching about four jin in three to four months.”

“As long as we make sure we have enough large rabbits to meet the restaurant’s demand for three months, we’ll be fine.”

“You’re so smart, Guo’er! Why didn’t I think of that?” Li Youyin exclaimed. “I’ll go to the village chief right away and tell him we’re buying all sizes of rabbits. Maybe he can help spread the word.”

Saying this, he grabbed two black fish he had caught the day before and set off for the village chief’s house.

When Tian Dayou heard that the Li family was buying rabbits in the village and was willing to take as many as people could catch, he couldn’t help but praise Li Youyin. The village was not wealthy, and there wasn’t much income from everyday activities.

There were plenty of rabbits in the mountains, and selling them could help villagers make some extra money, which was a good thing for everyone.

After seeing Li Youyin off, the village chief hurried to the village temple to gather the villagers and inform them about the news.

As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers erupted in chatter, eager to leave and head up the mountain to catch rabbits.

people going up the mountain every day to catch rabbits. Those who were lucky returned happily, while those who were unlucky returned tired and dejected, planning to try again the next day.

Every day, there was a steady stream of people at the Li family’s door. Over the past few days, Li Youyin had set out more rabbit cages and separated the rabbits by size, as well as whether they were pregnant or not, to care for them properly.

In the beginning, the villagers were catching quite a few rabbits, but as time passed, the rabbits became harder to catch, and not everyone was skilled at it.

Gradually, fewer people went out to catch rabbits, and the Li family’s yard became quieter.

Every day, Li Youyin would go to the restaurant to deliver the rabbits, and then return happily.

Since starting to supply the restaurant with rabbits, he had been making a steady income of several taels each month. Watching the family’s savings grow, he began to think of more things he wanted to do.

Li Guo’er suggested to her parents that they send her younger brother to school. She thought that although he was young, he was very clever and might have a great future ahead.

Li Youyin and his wife, however, had a different view. They didn’t expect their son to pass any imperial exams; they simply hoped he could learn to read and write so that he wouldn’t have to live like the other villagers, scraping by.

The family all agreed with the idea, but the happiest one was Li Wen, because in the village, only the village chief’s grandson, Tian Dongzhe, attended the private school.

Every time Tian Dongzhe returned from the town, he was surrounded by many village children trying to please him.

Li Wen envied Tian Dongzhe, but he knew that his family could not afford the cost of sending him to school.

The extra money was used for him to go to school, so it was never mentioned in front of his parents.

When he heard his sister suggest that he go to school, he was very happy, but he was also afraid that his parents wouldn’t agree, so he just sat quietly to the side, not saying a word.

It wasn’t until he heard that his parents had agreed to let him go to school that he happily jumped up.

Li Wen’s schooling was thus decided, but the problem of where he should study arose.

Although there was a private school in the village, the teacher was just an old student with no degree, and the students who attended were mostly from wealthier families in nearby villages.

However, the teacher’s knowledge was limited, and if it was just about learning a few characters, it definitely wouldn’t be a problem.

The private school in the village only charged two taels of silver per year, including the grass paper used for writing.

As for the town, the cost was uncertain and had to be inquired about, so this task was left to his father.

The villagers had stopped bringing rabbits, as most of the rabbits from the nearby mountains had already been caught.

Of course, everyone was doing well financially, and with extra money in hand, they became more generous. Every evening, the smell of meat wafted through the village.

When it was known that the second household was collecting rabbits, Li Guo’er’s second cousin also joined the rabbit-catching team.

However, Li Pozi and Zhao Shi would rather let their sons/grandsons sell the rabbits at a low price in the town than agree to sell them to the second household.

Li Changqing also heard about how his mother had stolen rabbits from his cousin and how his grandmother had caused trouble at his second uncle’s house.

After learning about the foolish actions of his mother and grandmother towards his second uncle’s family, every time he went out, he felt like people were pointing at him, and he felt very ashamed.

Before the family was split up, his second uncle treated him very well, always secretly saving him a portion of the good things he bought. This might have something to do with both of them not being favored by their parents.

After the second uncle’s family was separated, Li Changqing was the most upset, because only his second uncle and second aunt cared about him; his parents, grandfather, and grandmother all only focused on his older brother.

The appearance of Meng Shi seemed to shine a ray of sunlight into his heart, warming it again.

So, every time he heard news about his second uncle’s family, he paid special attention.